Miter box



June 5, 1956 J. s. CHILTON 2,748,811

MITER Box Filed June 22, 1953 Josep/7 5. Ch/fon INVENTOR.

BY naaf/@6.5m

MITER BOX Joseph S. Chilton, Lamar, Colo.

Application June 22, 1953, Serial No. 363,178

3 Claims. (Cl. 143-90) This invention relates to the class of tools and more particularly to an improved miter box.

The primary object of this invention resides in the provision of a rnter box which may be readily folded and collapsed to a relatively small compass for easy storage and transportation from one location to another. ln effect, this miter box is of such nature as to be relatively easily stored in any conventional tool box.

The miter box comprising the present invention has the advantage of enabling a carpenter to saw a work piece at any desired angle relative to the axis of the work piece while also providing means for adjustably guidingly holding the saw at a selected angle of tilt from the vertical.

The construction of this invention teaches the use of a shaft which is journaled in a base, rotatably mounted on the base is a work piece guide and there extends through the base a shaft which is journaled in the base. On the shaft there is mounted a substantially U-shaped saw guide carrying a guide block adapted to engage the upper surface of the saw. Hence, upon release of suitable locking means associated with the saw guide and work piece guide, a selected angle of tilt and of inclination relative to the axis of the work piece can be set on this miter box thus insuring that the work piece will be cut at a desired and selected plane.

Still further objects and features of this invention reside in the provision of a miter box that is strong and durable, simple in construction and manufacture, constructed from readily available materials, and which is inexpensive to produce thereby enabling this device to be widely distributed.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this miter box, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way of example only, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the novel miter box comprising the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the miter box showing in particular the structure of the shaft having the saw guide attached thereto;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view as taken along the plane of line 3-3 in Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a detail view of the angular locking plate forming an element of this invention.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral generally designates the improved ruiter box comprising the present invention. This miter box 10 includes a base 12 having a central supporting base plate 14 interconnecting two downwardly extending leg portions 16 and 18. The base plate 14 may be made out of any suitable metallic material or may be molded from a suitable synthetic plastic resin or the like as may be desired. The legs 16 and 1S have a pair of apertures therethrough nited States Patent i 2,748,8l l Patented June 5, 1956 ICE through which a shaft extends, the shaft 20 being journaled for rotary movement in the legs 16 and 18.

The shaft 20 has a pair of apertures 22 and 24 extending therethrough perpendicular to the axis of the shaft 20. Received within the apertures 22 and 24 are the legs 26 and 28 of a substantially U-shaped saw guide 30, the legs 26 and 28 being connected by an upper central connecting member 32. Set screws 34 and 36 are threadedly secured in the ends of the shaft Zi) and are adapted to abut against the legs 26 and 28 to securely hold them in a predetermined position. The saw guide 30 carries a guide block 38 provided with embracing portions 40 and 42 which embrace the legs 26 and 28, Centrally located in the guide block 38 is a member 44 having a downwardly depending pair of plates 46 and 47. A set screw 49 is utilized to adjustably hold the plate 46 in spaced relationship to the guide block 38 to provide a slit 51 for receiving the upper edge of a saw. Depending from the lower edge of the leg 28 is a pointer 4S adapted to cooperatel with indicia 50 and the .leg 16, the indicia designating the relative angular position of the pointer 48 and hence of the- U-shaped saw guide 36 relative to the base 12.

By means of a rivet or other suitable fastener a work piece guide 54 having an upwardly extending iiange 56 and a trapezoidal-shaped cut-out portion 53 is rotatably secured on the base 12, the cut-out portion 58 being provided'in order to provide access for the saw. The work piece 54 has a substantially semicircular projection 66. This projection 66 has a pointer 62 inscribed thereon adapted to cooperate with suitable indicia 64 inscribed on the base 14 and indicative of the angular position of the pointer 62 and hence of the work piece guide 54 relative to the base 14. The base plate 14 is provided with an aperture 66 therethrough for reception of a substantially cylindrical locking member 68. The locking member 68 has an aperture 70 therethrough adapted to receive the shaft 26. Another aperture 72 which is internally threaded is provided in the locking member 68 for reception of a set screw '74 which may be utilized using an Allen wrench 76 to accurately position the loci;- ing device or member 68 relative to the shaft 2). The locking member 68 is provided with a slot 78 therein for reception of the projecting edge of the projection 60 of the work piece guide 54. In this manner, the work piece guide 54 is lockingly held in a set position relative to the shaft 2t) because upon rotation of the set screw 74 the projection 60 will be pulled down into tight frictional engagement with the base plate 14.

There is provided a plate 82 which is attached to the shaft 2i) having angularly spaced apertures 84 therethrough adapted to receive a locking pin 86. The lecking pin 86 may be provided with a collar 88 and extends through a cylindrical housing 99 attached to the leg portion 18. A spring 92 biases the collar 8S and the inner surface of the outer wall 94 of the housing 98. A handle 96 is provided for disengaging the pin 86 from the plate 82. lt is to be noted that the apertures S4 are arranged so as to enable the shaft 20 to be locked by the pin 86 and plate 82 at any one of a number of convenient angular relationships of the guide block 44 relative to a vertical plane. Thus the angular relationship between the guide block 44 relative to the vertical plane can be determined and set even before locking member 68 is tightened to adjust the work piece guide 54 in its horizontal plane.

It is quite apparent that utilizing the locking device 68 the saw guide 30 may be rotated to a selected position when the set screw 74 is loosened. Also, the work piece guide 54 may be rotated to a selected position. Then tightening the set screw 74 utilizing the Allen wrench 76 the saw guide 30 and the work piece guide 54 may be set in their selected position. The saw guide of course y V adjusts the angle to tilt of the saw while the work piece guide 54 sets the relative angular relationship between the work piece and the saw.

It is to be noted that a wooden saw. projector block 80 may be utilized to protect the teeth of the saw after the miter box has been adjusted and set. The block 80 is positioned over the plate 14 and the work piece guide 54.

Since from the foregoing the construction and advantages of this miter box are readily apparent, further description is believed to be unnecessary.

However, since numerous modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is not intended to limit the invention to the precise embodiment shown and described, but all suitable modiiications and equivalents may be readily resorted to which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A miter box comprising a base, an adjusting shaft rotatably mounted in said base, a substantially U-shaped saw guide secured to said shaft, and a work piece guide rotatably mounted on said base, said base having an aperture therethrough, a locking member extending through said aperture, said shaft extending through said locking member, and a fastener threadedly secured in said locking member engageable with said shaft to lockingly hold said shaft in a selected position, said locking member having a slot therein, said work piece guide having an arcuate projection engaged in said slot.

2. A miter box comprising a base, an adjusting shaft rotatably mounted in said base, a substantially U-shaped saw guide secured to said shaft, and a work piece guide rotatably mounted on said base, said U-shaped saw guide having slidably mounted thereon a guide block adapted to engage the upper end of a saw, said base having an aperture therethrough, a locking member extending through said aperture, said shaft extending through said locking member, and a fastener threadedly secured in said locking member engageable with said shaft to lockingly hold said shaft in a selected position, said locking member having a slot therein, said work piece guide having an arcuate projection engaged in said slot.

3. A miter box comprising a base, an adjusting shaft rotatably mounted in said base, a substantially U-shaped saw guide secured to said shaft, and a work piece guide rotatably mounted on said base, said U-shaped saw guide having slidably mounted thereon a guide block adapted to engage the upper end of a saw, said base having an aperture therethrough, a locking member extending through said aperture, said shaft extending through said locking member, and a fastener threadedly secured in said locking member engageable with said shaft to lockingly hold said shaft in a selected position, said locking member having a slot therein, said work piece guide having an arcuate projection engaged in said slot, a pointer inscribed on said projection, indicia of angular movement of said work piece guide relative to said base on said base adjacent said work piece guide, a pointer on said U-shaped saw guide rotatable therewith, and indicia of angular movement on said base adjacent said U-shaped saw guide.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 240,737 Lewis Apr. 26, 1881 377,299 Gardiner Jan. 31, 1888 544,092 Goodell Aug. 6, 1895 857,520 Goodale June 18, 1907 1,458,951 Poole et al. June 19, 1923 FOREIGN PATENTS 15,725 Great Britain May 14, 1908 

